SO WHAT IS AGENDA 21?
Agenda 21 is an action plan for sustainable development for the world in the 21st century. It was drawn up at the U.N. "Earth Summit" in Rio in 1992, a gathering of 179 heads of state and government.
WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT?
There are many definitions but a good one is "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs". In other words, a process of social and economic development that can be sustained, not one that will ruin the world for our children.
WHERE DO THE BAHA'IS COME IN?
As a world-wide religious community, Bahá'ís have long been concerned about the sort of issues Agenda 21 addresses. Since 1994 the Bahá'í community in the U.K. has been involved in a special project to make the existence and goals of Agenda 21 better known, and to help people meet those goals.
For instance, they have been active in Local Agenda 21, a process which calls for local government bodies to consult with the people of their area and develop a strategy for its sustainable development.
As well as making Agenda 21 better known, the Bahá'ís have made a special effort to promote two of its aspects which are often overlooked in our "developed" world. The first is that we need a sustainable development strategy here just as much as other countries if we are to leave a reasonable future to our children. The other is that Agenda 21 is not just about the environment, although that is an important part of it.
Many organisations here have focused on the environmental implications, but Agenda 21 is very much about people. It has social and cultural, even spiritual elements. It makes it clear that unless the people in our society are empowered, especially groups that have often not had a voice, and they play a full part, then no strategy can work.
Since their own beliefs have strong social elements, and for more than a hundred years they have been promoting ideas such as gender equality, unity in diversity, and consultation and non-adversarial decision-making, it is not surprising that the Bahá'ís had a special interest in this part of Agenda 21 and did not want it overlooked.
